Teenage Wasteland

As much as I want to punch Chad Michael Murray's Lucas in the mug and call him a douche, I have to admit that he is the most earnest freaking character I have ever encountered on TV. Every line is delivered like it's the last thing he'll ever get to say before he dies in the French Revolution or of Cholera or in some romantic combination of the two.

In the blatant Breakfast Club rip-off episode, "Pictures of You," the students are randomly paired off to get to know one another beyond the five stereotypes Nerd, Jock, Prom Queen, Loner and Slut (or "Friendly"). The beautiful thing about this show is that it really struggles with the idea that those are the only categories available for teenagers. Sure, some of those labels are mixed and matched (Peyton's a Loner/Prom Queen), but the characters are each a combination of broad strokes and grand gestures.

Luke’s deep because he’s always quoting Important Books in his narration and he’s totally writing a novel. Haley’s more than a nerdy tutor because she used to be a rock star. Peyton’s not your typical cheerleader, she’s into angsty art. Brooke’s either playing Queen Bad Girl or peppy Stu-Co Prez, but rarely finds a happy medium. And Nathan, who may be my favorite character, is just a dude who loves basketball, and whose crazy personal life involves a dad who may be the devil and a pregnant teen bride. I know, it’s awesome.

At the end of the episode, each character had to take a picture of the person they got to know, showing how they now see the person. My favorite is the topless holier-than-thou born again virgin in leather pants. Enjoy!

It should be noted that the reason it's such a big deal for Lucas to talk to Glenda at the end is that she's Ally Sheedy and her mom totally doesn't get her. She made up a fake boyfriend and asked to get on the pill as a ploy to make her mother pay attention to her. Instead her mom said she didn't want to know who'd want to sleep with such a fat Goth chick (I'm paraphrasing), but got her a prescription any way. Also, she's the only person that Lucas has told about his "novel" and now she's going to help him with it. Me thinks Glenda's got a crush, but if I know Lucas, he'll be sticking with his faux-loner rather than jumping for the real thing.